Paul Daley vs. War Machine 'Vote for the Fight' Bellator winner on hold

Bellator recently wrapped up fan voting in its interactive feature allowing fans to pick the first fight on the promotion’s Spike TV debut.

But things didn’t go exactly as planned.

The idea was to have fans vote between welterweights Paul Daley, Ben Saunders, Douglas Lima and Jon “War Machine” Koppenhaver and decide the first fight on the Season 8 debut on Spike TV next month. “Vote for the Fight” was a web series that ran at Spike.com following the four fighters outside of the cage. Fans then voted for the fight they want to see in the Season 8 premiere’s opening bout.

The fans chose a fight between Daley (30-12-2 MMA, 1-0 BFC) and War Machine (12-4 MMA, 0-0 BFC), but an injury to War Machine has forced a change in plans.

Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney on Friday during the broadcast of Bellator 83 on MTV2 announced that an injury to War Machine will keep him sidelined for four to six months, making the fight with Daley almost certainly off the table for Season 8.

Rebney, however, did say the promotion will honor the fans’ wishes and make the fight once War Machine is able to go following his recovery and rehab.

Daley, a UFC and Strikeforce veteran, won his Bellator debut in July in dominant fashion, stopping Rudy Bears with a first-round knockout. The Brit was thought to be fighting again this past fall’s Season 7, but instead will be on hold until Season 8. Now without an opponent in War Machine for the foreseeable future, Daley may be rebooked for another fight in Season 8.

The injury setback was the latest downturn for War Machine. He was given a yearlong jail sentence in February, not long after signing with Bellator. Earlier this fall, he was released and was anxious to return to the cage in Season 8. The fighter has a storied background of legal troubles and arrests, as well as a brief career in pornography. But all 12 of his wins are by stoppage, and Rebney has said he remains hopeful that the fighter has turned the corner on his life outside the cage. But now, the injury sets him back.

Check out the final episode of Bellator’s “Vote for the Fight” web series above, featuring interviews with Rebney, Daley and War Machine. And check out all the episodes in the series below.

For more on Bellator’s upcoming schedule, stay tuned to the MMA Rumors section of the site.

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